Manage Your Member Database

Living at the core of your memberplanet group is your member database. If your group is member based, think of your database as the headquarters of the member management software. Variable data is stored and available to access for all initiatives, and conversely, whenever any action is taken on the platform, it feeds back to the database. This two-way relationship allows you to use tools based on data collected through the platform. For example, you can send email communication to a specific paid member level. As an admin you can also export your database into an Excel file to have full control over viewing your member data.

How Do I Access My Member Database?

You can access your member database on the platform through the members module, as well as export your database to an Excel spreadsheet for full editing and sorting options for your data.

This shows a searchable view of your member database. You can view members or contacts, as well as search and filter by Member Type and Status. These options allow you to easily target a specific member category.

Click the View All Members buttonon the right side of the page for an exhaustive view of your member database

Admins can filter the database based on any of the headings by alphanumeric, ascending, or descending order via the dropdown menu.

To sort members by status, including lapsed, click on the Status dropdown menu and select Status:Lapsed.

Export to Excel

For more advanced sorting and filtering options, including pivot tables as well as a more expanded view, we recommend you export your database to Excel.

You have the option to Choose Columns for an export. (This arrangement will not automatically be saved.)

Click the Export button to download an Excel spreadsheet of the database.

Use the Send Invitations button to send invitations to anyone who hasn’t been invited yet, or to resend invitations to anyone who’s been invited but hasn’t joined.

How to Create a Distribution List

We know group leaders don’t communicate with all members or other admins in the same way. Sometimes you only want to send an email to a specific set of people. Distribution lists give you the option to send customized content to each subgroup or grouping of people you create. Creating distribution lists of those you most frequently communicate with also saves time on email or text message sends. To use a distribution list for an email or text message, you must first create one.

On the left navigation sidebar, select Members

Click Manage Distribution Lists

Select Add a List button on the right side of the screen

Title your list and click Next

Populate your list by checking the box beside the name you wish to add

There are three tabs to populate a distribution list:

Choose Recipients: Select current members and contacts. Contacts don’t have the ability to log in to the group, and can’t engage with the memberplanet community. They are only available to receive information sent to them by the group admin.

Choose Lists: Use previously created lists to quickly select a batch of recipients.

Add New: Invite new members or add new contacts. You can upload a list of current members, which will be added to your distribution list; this will not create duplicate profiles. Learn more about the difference between members and contacts.

Finalize by clicking Add Recipients or Add Members/Contacts

Request Member Profile Updates

A member profile stores member information. Members can occasionally change their personal information, such as address, phone number, and name. This can be a hassle when trying to maintain an accurate database. We recommend periodically requesting profile updates from your members throughout the year. The Request Profile Update feature allows admins to request up-to-date information from members via email, sending them directly to their individual record page where they can edit their information fields. They won’t even need to log in, and the data will automatically populate to their member profiles in the database without any additional administrative management.

Generic fields like "phone," "email," and "address" will automatically be included, but you can also add additional custom fields to gather information your group may need, such as dietary restrictions, emergency contact, and the like. (Learn more about adding custom fields.) Admins who have necessary permissions can request member updates and edit member information.

Click on his or her name, or click the gear iconand select Member Details

Select Request Profile Update (located under his or her photo)

Customize your profile update email

Send email

Request member profile updates from all members

On the left navigation bar, click Members

Click Request Member Profile Updates

Customize any text in the subject or info sections

Click the Choose Your Recipients button

Select recipients or click Choose a List to use an existing distribution list

Click the Send Email button

View profile update email history

Full tracking available on Essentials, Pro, and Premiumsubscriptions

To view who has gotten your request, opened it, or has completed the request, follow these steps:

On the left navigation bar, click Members

In the submenu, click on Profile Update Email History

From here, you will be able to see a general number of how many were sent, opened, and updated.

To view full tracking on the Essentials, Pro, and Premiumsubscriptions, click on the gear iconand select View Tracking Data from the dropdown menu

This will open an expanded view of each individual’s profile update tracking.

To export the data to an Excel spreadsheet, click the Export button on the right side of the page

Manually update member profile

If you or any other admin is manually collecting updated member info and would like to update a member’s profile, you can do so by following these steps.

On the left navigation bar, click Members

The page will display your member database.

Select gear icon to the right of the member name

Select Member Details in the dropdown menu

Click Edit in the section you wish to make updates

Make edits and click Save Changes when finished

Create a List Sign-up Form

Your List Sign-Up forms lets people sign up for your communication/mailing list. The lists allows admins to know who would like to receive email updates about the group. For example, a PTA may want to send announcements regarding specific information (carnival volunteer times, messages from the principal, etc.). This feature allows individuals (whether members of your group or not) to sign up for the announcements that pertain to them.

This feature uses distribution lists to specify what lists people can sign up for. If you haven’t already, you’ll want to create distribution lists for your group to make it easier to not only send announcements, but also to give your members the opportunity to sign up for them. Learn more: How to Create a Distribution List.

Hover over Members in the left navigation bar, then click Add a List Sign-up Form in the submenu

Give your form a name (Example: PTA announcements)

Select the distribution list(s) you want to allow members/contacts to sign up for

All custom fields can be added by dragging and dropping your desired fields from the left-hand menu options

When finished click Save & Publish Now

Note: Those who choose to join your contact list will not be added to the member database and will not have member accounts on memberplanet or in your group.

Edit Group and Member Privacy Settings

One of our top priorities at memberplanet is the security of our users. The privacy settings allow users, whether admins or members, to adjust the settings to match personal preference for themselves and the groups they manage.

How to change your Personal Privacy Settings:

Click on your profile name in the upper right corner to display your account menu

Select Edit My Profile

Click Manage Privacy on the right-hand side of the screen

Choose the fields that you wish to share or hide with other admins or members

Click Save

How to change your Group Privacy Settings:

On the left navigation sidebar, click Group Site for setting your group profile's privacy settings

Note: These pages will allow you to show or hide Group Site or member information.

Click Edit Privacy and choose the visibility setting for your group

If you wish to edit how the group is viewed by a non-member, click Edit Non-member View

Personal Settings: You may customize your Group Site URL on this page as well. This is the link you give out to members to join or learn about your group through your Group Site.

Group Settings: You may also remove membership requirements, enabling members to join without an invitation or approval by the group leader.

Data and payment processing security

At memberplanet, we take data and payment processing security seriously. Security is enforced on multiple levels. Only group admins with specific permissions have access to the Collect Payment function, and the payment information is transmitted securely via SSL, encrypted and tokenized on the memberplanet servers.

Glossary - Manage Your Member Database

Member database: the core of your group where all variable data is stored and updated when an action is taken on the platform.

Members: the people in your organization who have the ability to log in to the member portal of your memberplanet group, and can engage with other members in your group.

Contacts: people you communicate with but are not members of your group. Contacts don’t have the ability to log in to the group and can’t engage with the memberplanet community. They can only receive information sent to them by a group admin.